Being brief and cursory introduction to Smart Device plugs and switches.

! Here are some useful things you can do with them:

1. Turn lights or appliances on and off from anywhere using your smartphone or if you have a smart assistant like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit, you can control your switches with voice commands. Light can be controlled individually or in groups

I can turn on lights when go to the kitchen, and off when I leave. Change the central heating by voice.

Set schedules for your devices. For example, you can program your lights to turn on at sunset and off at bedtime, or set your coffee maker to start brewing at a specific time.

Some smart switches come with energy monitoring features that let you track how much power your devices are using. This can help you identify ways to reduce your energy consumption.

Create automated routines that integrate with other smart devices. For example, you can set your lights to turn on when your smart door lock is unlocked, or when a motion sensor detects movement. or simulate your presence at home by setting your lights to turn on and off in a random pattern while you’re away. This can help deter potential burglars.

You can create “scenes” that set multiple devices to specific states. For instance, you might set a “Movie Night” scene that dims the lights, turns on the TV, and adjusts the thermostat or receive notifications on your phone when a device is turned on or off. This can be useful for checking if you left something on when you’re away.

There are other things to control besides simple on/off:

HVAC controllers

Smart locks

Smart blinds and shades

Smart TVs

and more

I’m barely scratching the surface and merely controlling lights, but I’ll tell you – after 6 years of the convenience of voice control, it’s rough to give it up. I have 6 lights in our livingroom. They are all in one group, so I just say “Alexa, turn on livingroom lights” instead of walking to 6 different places to flip a switch in each one. Later, as I curl up in bed, I say “Alexa, turn off everything.”

The switches come in two types: a wall switch, which requires you (or your electrician) to remove the current switch and replace it with the smart switch.

Here’s an example : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBNX6Q51

The other kind is a simple no-tools-required plug

Plug example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BXMNJDW3

unplug your lamp from the wall; plug in this unit and then plug your lamp back into it.

To get these units recognized (added so you can use it), you use free software for your iphone

The actual process depends on the type of connection your devices use : either wifi direct or hub-based.

Older hub-based may be a closed or proprietary system, and I never used them. But coming full-circle, the newest, easiest, fastest and most compatible is called “Matter”.

If you are just getting started, you probably should choose “Matter” compatible devices.

Just to make the point however, here’s a brief overview of the wifi unit process, (Matter units will follow.)

Wifi is the most complex to add, involving a button-press (on the unit) until the unit LED signals that it’s ready. Then in the app on your phone, (SmartLife [SL] is a common such app) press the search button. Normally the unit will be recognized in 30 seconds, but it may take up to 2 minutes. (It may fail too, in which case, follow the secondary instructions in the box.)

Once it’s added successfully, give it a unique name such as “desk Lamp” and hit save. At this point, you can control the light from your phone by tapping on its name in your list of devices.

If you want to use Alexa to voice control the unit, you will need to add the unit name to the Alexa app on your phone. This is done using the same app [SL] you just used to recognize the unit. Fortunately it’s as simple as finding and clicking the “Add to Alexa” button.

Finally, you can create Groups in either Alexa or SmartLife; Matter or wifi. There are rules to creating groups, particularly if you want the same named unit in two different groups. Ask me for help if you need it.

Now on to Matter.

First, you don’t need SmartLife. 

Next, you don’t need button presses nor LEDs flashing just so. All you need is the Alexa app (or Apple TV or a Home Pod or…

… well there are too many to list. Visit here for the current state of Matter (2024):

https://www.theverge.com/23568091/matter-compatible-devices-accessories-apple-amazon-google-samsung

Adding a Matter device is very simple: plug it in and then run the Alexa app. It will ask you if you want to add it. Agree and say “yes” when it asks if you have a QR code. Then just scan the code and enter a name for the unit.

Done. You can voice control right away.

(See? I said it was simple! )

I have four Alexa/Echo devices scattered around the house, and 15 plugs and switches which amounts to about half the wifi nodes the router runs with all the time.

Before you ask:

Smartdevices run on 2.4 Ghz wifi, and not on 5, 5.1 or 6.

They use less than a watt if they are just waiting around for a command.

No they don’t slow down anything.

Finally, it’s not all a bed of roses – there are thorns now and then. Reliabilty is high but not perfect and every now and then one may drop off. They are easy to pick back up. Plugs, in particular will reset if you just unplug them and then plug back in. Recent wall switches have a reset-button.

Both switches and plugs have physical buttons, so in an emergency you can still turn things on and off.

Obviously there’s more to all this, but some friends asked me to write just enough to give them the gist of here it. Well, there it is